Penn Vet News

A Link Between Mitochondrial Damage and Osteoporosis

New research from the School of Veterinary Medicine lays out a possible mechanism by which alcohol, cigarette smoke, and exposure to certain medications and toxins can weaken bone.

Some risk factors for osteoporosis such as being older and female or having a family history of the condition cannot be avoided. But others can, like smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, taking certain medications, or being exposed to environmental pollutants. But until now researchers haven’t gained a firm picture of how these exposures link up with bone loss.

Penn Vet’s Rebecka S. Hess Earns Prestigious Lindback Award

Rebecka S. Hess of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has earned the prestigious Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Dr. Hess is one of eight faculty members at Penn to receive the award this spring. 

Companion Animal Ryan Hospital Opens Its New 2.7 Million Emergency Room

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 16^th celebrated the opening of Ryan Hospital’s Richard Lichter Emergency Room at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet). The project was generously funded by Richard Lichter, a member of Penn Vet’s Board of Overseers, and co-chair of The Power of Penn Vet Campaign. His gift was made in memory of his beloved Golden Retriever, Cosette.

Dr. Cynthia M. Otto Named Professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine

The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) has named Cynthia M. Otto, DVM, PhD, professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine.

Meaghan Hogan Joins Penn Vet as Vice Dean, Institutional Advancement

Penn Vet has named Meaghan Hogan Vice Dean of Institutional Advancement. In this role, Hogan will be responsible for the overall conceptualization, planning and execution of a coordinated program of private source fund raising, constituent relations, and communications to support the long and short range goals of the School. She will lead The Power of Penn Vet Campaign to completion.

Dr. Gary Althouse Named Penn Vet’s Associate Dean of Sustainable Agriculture and Veterinary Practices

The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) announced the appointment of Gary Althouse, PhD, DVM, to associate dean of Sustainable Agricultural and Veterinary Practices. The appointment was effective April 1, 2019.

Inaugural Penn Vet Palpation Team Takes First at 2019 SAVMA Symposium Competition

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) students took home first-place honors during the 2019 Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Bovine Palpation Competition held March 9-11, 2019 at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

Unlocking the female bias in lupus

The autoimmune disease lupus, which can cause fatigue, a facial rash, and joint pain, strikes females far more often than males. Eight-five percent of people with lupus are female, and their second X chromosome seems partly to blame. According to a new study by Penn researchers, females with lupus don’t fully “silence” their second X chromosome in the immune system’s T cells, leading to abnormal expression of genes linked to that chromosome.

Johne’s Disease and the enteric microbiome

Paratuberculosis (or Johne’s Disease (JD)) is a chronic gastrointestinal disease of cattle caused by an infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Infection with MAP results in inflammation of the intestinal lining, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and is ultimately fatal. 

A bad bout of flu triggers ‘taste bud cells’ to grow in the lungs

Most people who weather an infection with influenza fully recover after a week or two. But for some, a severe case of the flu can actually reshape the architecture of their lungs and forever compromise their respiratory function.

Enhancing Dairy ‘Farm Health’ for Economic Viability, Success

As the bar for keeping a farm out of financial stress nudges higher and higher, experts like Dr. Joseph Bender, Assistant Professor of Clinical Dairy Production at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School (Penn Vet), seek innovative solutions to not only stabilize the viability of the family dairy, but help it to flourish. Through their work at Penn Vet’s Center for Animal Health and Productivity (CAHP), he and his colleagues combine expertise in dairy nutrition, reproduction, health economics, and conventional veterinary medicine, to boost economic productivity within animal agriculture.

Exploring Future of Laminitis Care, Prevention at April First Tuesday Lecture

Join Penn Vet’s Dr. Andrew van Eps, Associate Professor of Equine Musculoskeletal Research, as he shares exciting updates on advancements in laminitis management as part of the First Tuesday Lecture series at New Bolton Center.

Making headway against a killer virus

Ebola just isn’t going away. Following the major 2014 outbreak in West Africa, the deadly infection came back with a vengeance last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has claimed nearly 550 lives to date.

The impact has been felt closer to home as well.

Learn About Cutting-Edge Cancer Care for Cats and Dogs

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) will present a free panel discussion for pet lovers on caring for companion animals diagnosed with cancer to be held at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

Setting up Foals for Success: Ten Things to Do

From December to August, breeding and foaling season, Dr. Michelle Abraham has her hands full with pregnant mares and foals.      

Pediatric Puppy Leads Her Litter

English Bulldog Missy recently gave birth to her first litter. All puppies were healthy except one, who had a potentially mobility-limiting limb deformation. In just a few weeks, the tiny little bulldog would be the first of the brood to walk.

Sports Medicine ‘Sleuths’ Unravel Lameness Mysteries during March First Tuesday Lecture

Join Penn Vet New Bolton Center’s Elizabeth Davidson, DVM, ACVS, ACVSMR, and Liz Arbittier, VMD, CVA, as they kick-off the spring First Tuesday Lecture series with their talk "Mythbusting the Lameness Exam Part 2: Comparing Your Interpretation of Lameness to What Scientific Data Tells Us.”

Joey the Senior Cat Triumphs Over Illness with Help from Friends

For most of his life, Joey was a happy, healthy cat—never sick and always in charge. With nary a sniffle, the scrappy domestic short hair has lived with his owner Amanda Arrowood since he was found as a kitten in West Philadelphia. But, at the age of 13, Joey started losing weight and suffering from chronic diarrhea.

What's Age Got to Do with It? Caring for Geriatric Horses

The idea that age is but a number is as true for animals as it is for humans. Horses, especially ponies, are routinely living to the mid-twenties and even thirties. Often, the equines still enjoy life, work, or performing into their third decade.

Shelter medicine is on a roll

According to the Humane Society of the United States, nationally an estimated 70 million dogs and cats lack a home. Of those, about 6.5 million wind up in shelters each year. Ensuring that more of these pets find a loving, caring home—and receive the proper veterinary care to stay there—is a daunting challenge, one that motivates the veterinarians and students who make up the Shelter Medicine Program in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine.